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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stick · ground · temple · sharp · cell · arm · leaves · present

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. present — there
  3. present — a gift
  4. ground — a position
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cell — in biology
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. sharp — clever
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. cell — a phone
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. present — the time now
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. ground — the earth
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com